Straighten
by Geniusgirl The Original
Summary: Growth and change elude the Hyuga heir no longer. Character development. [Supposedly] warranted OOCness. Briefly mentioned NaruHina & implied NejiHina.


**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all related material belong to **Masashi Kishimoto**. The author makes no profitfrom this story.

* * *

**Straighten**

_It takes more energy to slouch. _

Hinata Hyuga was a shy child who grew into an awkward, self-conscious teenager. Her head was always bowed, her eyes always averted and her shoulders were always hunched. Occasionally, she made an effort to change this. It never lasted long.

On her eighteenth birthday, her father – utterly frustrated with trying to make her stronger, more worthy of the title that was to be hers, more worthy of the air she breathed – informed her that she would begin training under a new instructor. Her skills – **if **one could call them 'skills' at all, he had wanted to sneer – left much to be desired.

Following the chûnin examinations, Hinata had managed to cultivate an uneasy sort of peace with her cousin Neji. Of course, they were far from friends but they were no longer enemies. Rather, he no longer considered her to be the enemy – at least, not outwardly. Nevertheless, when he reported to her door in training gear, she almost wanted to cry.

In the depths of her heart Hinata knew that, no matter what she or anyone else thought, Hiashi had only her and the clan's best interests in mind. But as she followed Neji out of the Hyuga compound and into the forest, she could not help but wonder if one of the reasons her father chose **Neji **of all people to train her was not spite. As a double-edged sword expertly wielded, its malice sliced effectively through both of them. Neji's skill made her inadequacies glaring. Her frailty must have grated Neji's consciousness, she reasoned. Neji, who had all that could ever be required in an heir, was bound – 'caged', would be more appropriate – by the seal of the Branch House and she, who had everything to be the perfect subordinate, was to head the Main. The irony of their situation was almost too bitter to swallow.

He began by asking her to perform. The harder she tried, the worse she stumbled. She could see the irritation in his blank gaze. If she was good at nothing else, she was adept at reading her relatives' white eyes. When she finally completed all he had requested, Hinata braced herself for his scathing comments. She knew she was sloppy; she knew she fumbled too much; she knew that despite her potential for strength her blows were weak. She knew that she was a disappointment. Her breath was short and harsh in the silence.

Neji rose from the felled tree on which he sat and circled her. Under his scrutiny, Hinata felt as small and useless as she did when Hiashi looked at her. For a brief moment, she wished fervently that she was more like – no, at that moment she would have given anything to **be **– Hanabi. She kept her eyes focused on the ground. When they began to sting from sweat and self-pity, she screwed them shut.

"Your posture is ridiculous."

She winced.

"You apparently have no control over your limbs."

She folded her arms across her stomach.

"Your technique… Do you even have a technique?"

She bit her lip.

"You lack concentration."

She had been expecting this, anyway.

"And where is your chakra, Hinata-sama?"

This caused Hinata to glance up at him. Given everything he had said was true, she had always been told she had above average chakra control. She was no Sakura but she **was **a Hyuga and therefore her chakra was her strength. When her gaze met his, one of Neji's eyebrows rose. It was a rare gesture for him, she noted. Then she quickly returned her gaze to the ground between them. The quiet seemed protracted.

"Hinata-sama," he began conversationally, "did you know that it takes more energy to slouch?"

She peered up at him askance. As he approached her once again, Neji continued to speak.

"You, Hinata-sama, have a perpetual slouch. **That **is where your chakra has gone. You bend your shoulders and fold inward. Why? No one is going to hit you."

She wanted to look at him, even if only through her bangs, but he was behind her. She had no energy for her Byakugan. No daring, either.

"By slouching you trap your chakra. That chakra begins to exit the body in useless ways eventually leading to its depletion. Now, activate your Byakugan."

She did, with a lot of effort. He noticed.

"Wave your hand."

For the first time, she spoke. "Wh-why?"

"Just do it."

So she did. And that was when she saw it. She had never noticed before. Her chakra, in very small amounts, was leaving her body without her permission. Uneasy about this, knowing that Neji had probably seen it long ago, she shifted her feet. And since she was already looking down, she saw it happen again. She wanted to ask why this was happening to her. **How **could it happen? Was this normal?

"You slouch and you fidget, Hinata-sama." His voice was soft. He cleared his throat and began to sound like one of her old academic tutors, "The fidgeting is a direct side effect of the trapped chakra. It is in excess. Natural motion is hindered and, as such, you unconsciously find other unproductive ways of getting rid of it. But once the process begins, it takes a conscious effort to stop it."

Hinata allowed it all to sink in, wondering where Neji learnt what he knew. There was a reason why he was known as the genius of the Hyuga clan. She realized that he was standing before her.

"Your destiny as it stands, Hinata-sama, requires strength. What are you going to do?"

She had never heard a clearer challenge. In the end, there was only one thing she could do.

Slowly, she raised her head to look straight ahead. Her spine was still arched. The pressure was gentle and unexpected. Neji's fingers were precisely on her spine, at the point where it curved most. As he pressed, she straightened. To her astonishment, she was taller than she had previously believed. Then he was before her and she found she did not need to crane her neck as far backward to see his face.

"Very good."

* * *

Hinata spent most of her time over the next months remembering to sit straight. When she was alone, she practiced. When she was with Neji, it was compulsory. When she with her team, she was pleased to note that it was almost natural. When she was with the family, each day she was able to look one more person in the eye a little longer. 

She found herself training rigorously, hitting harder, running faster, perfecting her techniques, and (she was mildly shocked to note) fidgeting less. She felt stronger. She was more aware of her chakra and she was beginning to harness its – **her** – power in ways she had never before dreamt of.

The team liked the change. Hinata had never felt closer to her team-mates. She had never felt like such a part of the team before. They had never had so much fun together.

Naruto, never to be left out, said that he liked the new her. Not that he didn't like the old her, of course, just… he gave up trying to explain himself. She had giggled and chatted easily with him for hours. Despite still feeling somewhat self-conscious, she noticed that it did not cripple her social interaction. She thought that maybe this was the way other girls felt around boys they found attractive.

Hinata now knew what more of her family members' faces looked like rather than their toes. In addition, she had noticed a subtle shift in the tone of the whispers she occasionally heard around the houses. The generally negative undertones had metamorphosed into surprise and approval. Sometimes, she thought she heard praise. Even Hanabi had begun to show her some respect as person if not as an elder.

Neji, she believed, was… faintly pleased with her progress.

Yet Hinata was far from perfect. It was an evident fact once Hiashi was present. She still folded under he father's gaze in the same manner she had all eighteen years of her life. At such times, her shoulders fell right back down.

The next day, Neji would have to start again at the beginning, barely-there fingertips guiding her spine to its upright position once again. She knew her sudden and total reversals angered him. From the time she opened her door to greet him with her back slumped, he would scowl. She would apologize endlessly. But they never ceased their training. He never seemed to lose patience with her.

As time passed, Hinata was happy to find that her relationship with Neji was of something akin to friendship. She was happy because _Neji-niisan_ was special to her.

"Hiashi-sama requests your presence, Hinata-sama."

* * *

Neji was standing outside the door to her father's study. She halfway smiled at him. His eyebrows narrowed when he looked at her. Hinata already knew what was wrong. Her shoulders had started to droop. She could already feel her spine curving. She stood looking at the door for a moment. When her hand reached out to open it, Neji moved stand on her other side. 

Hinata opened the door with a hint of smile on her face and her back a little straighter.

"I have heard good reports about your training," Hiashi began, not wasting anytime past the formalities of saying good day. "Unfortunately, I have yet to see improvements for myself."

Hinata felt his eyes settle on her. Their weight pressed down on her shoulders. But she wanted to resist. She wanted to keep her back straight. She wanted to make Neji proud. Most of all, she wanted her father to see that he had to stop. She was no longer a disappointment and she no longer wanted to be treated as such.

"Neji, your reports thus far have been vague. I would appreciate an honest opinion."

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Neji stiffen. Her heart sunk. She felt… deflated. For the first time since they had begun her training, Hinata suffered a major reversal not induced by her father. She was on the verge of letting her shoulders simply fall when she felt it.

Tendrils of chakra (she hadn't known he could do that) pushed lightly at her spine. One curled toward her chin, tipping it upward so slightly it looked natural. Of course, should Hiashi activate his Byakugan, Neji would be dog-meat.

"Hinata-sama's progress has been excellent, Uncle."

Her father frowned at the definitive tone. Taking a long look at his nephew, he returned his gaze to his daughter. His eyes widened when he found her staring at him openly, her countenance expressing confidence. It was somewhat watery, as it was her first time, but Hinata managed to hold her own for a full minute. She was grateful that instead of looking down, she had looked **away**.

"…I see." Hiashi was deep in contemplation. Hinata knew this because she knew her father well. "Very well then."

* * *

Having tested every bone in her body, Hiashi was finally satisfied with his daughter's improvement. Her prospects as heir were better than ever. In Hinata's mind, her **life** was better than ever. Her greatest achievement was the brief pride-filled glance she had received from her father after defeating Hanabi. Then he had taken to training her himself, and Neji too because Hiashi had a soft spot for the nephew who so resembled his lost twin. 

Thus, Hinata was happy. She was happy in the knowledge that Neji was proud of her. In a way that was far different from that of her childhood, Hinata was happy because _Neji_ was special to her.

…Hinata Hyuga was a shy child who grew into an awkward, self-conscious teenager. Her head was always bowed, her eyes always averted and her shoulders were always hunched. Once, she made an effort to change this. With a little help, it lasted forever.

_It takes more energy to slouch. _

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**AN:** I know I took a few liberties and played around with the chakra system.I think it was worth it... Reviews? 


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